Maintaining the condition of a golf course is of prime concern, especially with the increased amount of play due to the growing popularity of the sport. One of the most important areas of the golf course is the putting green which must be maintained in near perfect condition so that the golf ball rolls true along the putting surface. Unfortunately the putting green is often damaged by foot traffic across the green and ball impact damage. Damaged areas of the golf course playing surface caused by such use are commonly called divots or ball marks. In order to maintain the condition of the course, players are urged to repair all divots that they notice or create during a round of play. Particular attention is urged with regard to the putting surface of the greens due to the sensitive nature of their effect upon a player's score. An immediate repair facilitates the natural recovery of the grass system which would otherwise dry out, preventing the grass root system from re-growing.
In order to facilitate the repair of putting green divots, various tools have been devised for golfers to carry and use. Divot repair tools are typically fork-shaped implements having tines that are pressed into the playing surface which can then be lifted or otherwise manipulated to restore its condition. Some divot repair tools are incorporated into the end of the handle or grip end of the golf putter. Examples are shown in various prior art patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,970 issued to Hlavacek; U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,785 issued to Rusin, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,977 issued to MacNeary; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,646 issued to Wiens. Each of these patents discloses a divot repair tool which is extendable from and retractable back into the golf putter shaft, each having a different mechanical mechanism for controlling the movement and positioning of the divot repair tool. However, in each of these cases, there are limitations. For example, in some cases the golf putter shaft needs to be greatly modified. In other cases, the repair tool is not easily actuated or held in its locked operative position. For example, in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,970 issued to Hlavacek, the divot repair tool always remains protruding from the top of the handle and the tines must be manually pulled out of the top by fingernail grooves. This is particularly inconvenient in that grasping the tines is difficult and by the nature of their use the tines are most often covered with dirt. This makes use of this particular device inconvenient and unsanitary.
There is therefore a need in the art for an improved, retractable golf putter divot repair tool which does not detract from the aesthetic appearance of the golf putter, is easy to use, is safe and sanitary, is easily retrofittable to a golf putter without any major modification, and which is economical to manufacture.